Related resources for this article

(1790–1842). The death of Letitia Tyler—wife of the 10th United States president, John Tyler—at the White House on September 10, 1842, marked the first time in American history that a first lady died while her husband was in office.

Letitia Christian was born in Cedar Grove, Virginia, on November 12, 1790. Her experience of growing up on a plantation served her well in later years. After marrying Tyler on March 29, 1813, she took over the running of his plantation as he pursued a political career, and she proved to be an excellent manager. She rarely appeared in public with her husband, focusing instead on domestic duties and their ever-growing family.

Letitia suffered a stroke in 1839 that left her an invalid. When Tyler became vice-president in March 1841, he intended to continue living in the family’s Williamsburg, Virginia, home in order to not disrupt his wife’s life. This plan changed in April, following the death of William Henry Harrison, when Tyler became the nation’s first “accidental president.” The couple moved to the White House, where Letitia spent her time living on the second floor and attending to household operations despite her ill health. A daughter-in-law, Priscilla Cooper Tyler, fulfilled Letitia’s hostess duties. Letitia’s one appearance at a social function during her husband’s term was the wedding of their daughter Elizabeth. Two years after Letitia’s death, before he left the presidency, Tyler married Julia Gardiner, who by contrast was one of history’s more visible first ladies.

It’s here: the NEW Britannica Kids website!

We’ve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. Take a minute to check out all the enhancements!

The same safe and trusted content for explorers of all ages.

Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops.

Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards.

A new, third level of content, designed specially to meet the advanced needs of the sophisticated scholar.

Want to see it in action?

Start a free trial

E-mail

To

From

Sender NamePlease enter your name.

Sender EmailPlease enter a valid email address.

Translate this page

Choose a language from the menu above to view a computer-translated version of this page. Please note: Text within images is not translated, some features may not work properly after translation, and the translation may not accurately convey the intended meaning. Britannica does not review the converted text.

After translating an article, all tools except font up/font down will be disabled. To re-enable the tools or to convert back to English, click "view original" on the Google Translate toolbar.